Can opener



Feb. 18, 1958 s. SEGAL 2,823,452

CAN OPENER Filed June 29, 1954 1 nite Thisinvention relates to a can opener of the punch type which operates as a lever and'is provided at one end with an angular cutting edge that is pivotally moved downwardly into engagement with the top of a can "to punch a substantial pouring opening in the can top.

Can openers of this general type as, for example, the can opener disclosed in the Patent No. 1,996,550, issued to Sampson et al. on April 2, 1935, have been successfully used for many years in opening cans having projecting end seams or joints. Such can openers have a downturned lug which engages the rim of the can to provide a fulcrum so that the opener may be moved pivotally to force the punch through the can top.

However, some cans, as for example, those in which condensed or evaporated milk is packed, are not provided with projecting end seams, and the can openers of this type heretofore known can not punch a hole in such can tops in a satisfactory manner. It is quite common for housewives to provide the necessary pouring openings in cans of this type by pounding a nail or a fork tine through the top of the can.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an opener of the type discussed with means for providing a fulcrum adjacent the edge of the can top so that the opener may easily be pivotally moved to cause the cutting edge to punch a pouring opening through the can top.

Another object of the invention is to provide an opener that may be used efliciently to punch holes in the tops of cans of different heights.

The structure by means of which the above mentioned and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained will be described in detail in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, showing two preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a can opener embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the can opener as applied to a small can, with the relationship of the opener to a large can indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention in which the can opener is not permanently secured to the support which provides the fulcrum;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the support for the can opener of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the opener of Fig. 3 as applied to a large can; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the opener applied to a small can.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the supporting member comprises an upright portion 2 and a flange 3 extending at right angles thereto. The supporting member 2 is provided with a lug 4 bent forwardly therefrom at a predetermined height above flange 3. The lug 4 extends upwardly so that when flange 3 rests on a horizontal surface, such as a table top, the upper free end 5 of lug 4 is horizontal and is spaced forwardly of the tesPatent 0 7 2,823,452 Patented Feb. 18, 1958 ice member 2. The distance between the edge 5 and the upright member 2 is relatively short so that when a can 6 is positioned on flange 3 it may be positioned close enough to the'upright member 2 to permit eflicient operation of the opener, as hereinafter described. The spacing of edge 5 from upright member 2 is sufficient to permit a small can 7 to be held'in place for the can opening operation.

The center portion at the upper edge of upright member 2 is cut away, as indicated at 8, to provide projections which are curled rearwardly to form hinge sleeves 9. The hinge sleeves are aligned along 'a common horizontal axis and do not interfere with the positioning of the can to be opened because the curl is in the rearward direction.

The lever 10 comprises a substantially flat piece of'metal having a width approximately equal to the width of the cut away portion 8 to permit it to fit between the hinge sleeves 9. One end of lever 10 is bent rearwardly, as indicated at 11, so that it may be conveniently lifted away from upright member 2. The opposite end of lever 10 is curved forwardly, as indicated at 12, and the edges are cut away to form a sharp point or punch 13 which is operable to punch through the top of a can when the lever is moved pivotally to force the point into engagement with the top of a can.

The lever 10 is slit longitudinally along two parallel lines, as indicated at 14, rearwardly of curved portion 12, and the metal between the two slits is pushed out in the forward direction to form a loop (not shown) large enough to snugly receive a hinge pin 15 which is driven into hinge sleeves 9 to provide a fulcrum for the lever. The lever 10 is long enough to provide sufiicient leverage so that very little force is required to punch an opening through the can top, but the distance from hinge pin 15 to the curved end 11 is slightly shorter than the height of upright member 2 to provide clearance between the end 11 and the table top or other surface on which the can opener is used.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 3 to 6, I have provided a supporting member capable of holding a conventional can opener, such as that described in Patent No. 1,996,550, and adapted to provide a fulcrum for the opener to permit its use as a lever in punching holes inthe tops of cans not having any projecting end seams.

The supporting member comprises an upright portion 16 and a base 17 extending at right angles thereto. The upright portion is provided at its upper edge with a rearwardly extending flange 18 which provides a fulcrum for the lever 19 when the lug 20 of the lever is engaged therewith in the same manner that the lug is ordinarily engaged with the projecting end seam of a can having a projecting end seam. The height of the upright portion 16 is equal to the height of a conventional large can 6 in which condensed milk is packed. Accordingly, when such a can is positioned on the base 17 with the upright portion 16 adjacent the periphery of the can, flange 18 is adjacent the upper edge of the can, and the lever may be operated very easily by engaging the lug 20 with the flange 18 and moving the lever pivotally to force the punch end 21 of the opener through the top of the can.

In order to permit the lever to be used with smaller cans, the upright member is provided with an opening 22 which is large enough to permit the end of the lever 19 to be inserted therethrough. The bottom of opening 22 is horizontal, and is provided with a flange 23. Flange 23 is parallel to flange 18 and extends from upright member 16 in the same direction. As shown in Fig. 6, flange 23 is spaced above base 17 a distance equal approximately to the height of a small can 7 so that the relationship between flange 23 and can 7 is the same as that between flange 18 and can 6.

The free ends of loop 24 are bent into abutting relationa ship, as indicated at 26, to form a closed loop to prevent separation of the loop from the supporting member. The

loop has sufiicient depth so that when it is pushed against the rear surface of upright member 16 there is sufficient space between the front of the loop and the front surface of member 16 to receive the lever therebetween, as shown in Fig. 3. When a can to be opened is placed on base 17 and pushed against the upright member the loop 24 is pushed rearwardly so that it does not interfere with the position of the can.

While I have described two preferred embodiments of my invention in detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is illustrative, rather than restrictive, 7

construction described, except as limited by the appended claim.

I claim:

In a can opener adapter the combination of a body portion formed to be positioned adjacent to the side of a can, a flanged base section formed by bending one end of the body portion at substantially right angles thereto, a plurality of flanges formed by bending the other end of the body portion at substantially oppositely disposed right angles thereto and whereby a bearing point is provided for a can opener.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 470,024 Welch Mar. 1, 1892 1,452,287 Burke Apr. 17, 1923 1,577,957 Dalmas Mar. 23, 1926 2,015,271 Hosmer Sept. 24, 1935 2,578,462 Codiga Dec. 11, 1951 2,638,666 Mayo et al May 19, 1953 2,677,882 Scheringer May 11, 1954 

